Extensible luggage



Feb. 24, 1942. H.:DERMAN EXTENSIBLE LUGGAGE INVENTOR /M/M'r fmM/VPatented Feb. 24, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT g OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to luggage wherein the front and bottom walls o-fa rectangular case maybe moved from a closed position to a fullyextended position with the bottom and front walls arranged in commonalinement with each other and in alinement with the back wall; and theobject of the invention is to provide a case of the character describedcomprising relatively fixed top, b-ack and side walls with a downwardlyextending front'ange portion at the forward edge of the top wall with abottom wall hingedly joined to the lower end of the back wall and afront wall hingedly joined to the forward end of the bottom wall for thefull and flat extension of the back, bottom and front wall portions ofthe case, whereby garments may be hung infully extended position withinsaid case; a further object being to provide the upper end portioniofthe case with means, preferably concealed within said top front flange,for detachably mounting garment hangers in connection with the case forsupporting a number of garments within the case, said' means alsoserving to reinforce and stiifen the upper corner portions of the case;a further object being to provide the forward edges of the side walls'of the casel with inturned flanges with means thereon and on the sideedges of the front wall for coupling the front wall to the side Wallsintermediate upper and lower edges thereof when the case is in closedposition; a further object being to provide means for reinforcingpredetermined edgie portions of rth'e case and in langing saidreinforcements kbetween the upper edge of the front wall land the loweredge of the front top flange to provide a rain-proof joint between saidlcase parts; and with these and other objects in view, which will bemore rfully hereinafter set forth, the invention consists in a device ofthe class and for the purpose specified, which is simple inconstruction, eliicient in use, and which is constructed as hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, ofwhich the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate partsof` my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters ineach of the views, and in which:

Fig. lis a front view of a case made according to my invention with partof the construction broken away and in section.

l Fig. 2 is a broken section substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the upper end portion of thevcase as shown in Figs.; 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a partial and broken section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of a part of the construction assh'own in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 showing only a part of theconstruction and showing a modification, the section being substantiallyon fthe line 6-6 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 7 is a partial section on the line 'I-'I of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 is an 'enlarged sectional view of a part of the construction asshown in Fig. 2.

Thel construction forming the subject matter of this application isrelated to .fthe structure as disclosedvin my prior application, SerialNo. 218,312, led July 9, 1938, having since issued as Patent'l#2,163,116, dated June 20, 1939, and differs generally from thestructure shown in the earlier application in providing relatively fixedside and top walls which form what might be termed a garment protectinghood portion. However, the front wall and bottom wall are foldalble withrespect to each other and to the back wall to fully extend in alinementwith the back wall when the case is in open position rto facilitate theplacement of garments upon the walls of the case prior to folding thewalls to close the case so as to maintain the garments in a neatnoncreasing or wrinkling position within the case when fully closed, andalso to allow the garments to hang fully extended and freely from thetop hood portion through the open bottom of the hood portion when thecase is fully open.

For the purpose of illustrating one adaptation of my invention, I haveshown in the accompanying drawing a case consisting of a top wall I0,back wall I l, bottom wall I2, front wall I3 and front downwardlyextending ange portion I4 at the forward edge of the top wall I0. Theparts Ill, II, I2, I3 and I4 in the construction' shown are made from asingle sheet, of material. In the more economical form of device, thismaterial may consist of a sheet of fibre board, corrugated. board or thelike, painted or covered with a fabric to produce any vdesiredvappearance or effect upon the outer surface from Fig. 1 of the drawingsolely from the standpoint of simplifying the complete illustration.

The separate wall portions are scored to form the hinge connectionsbetween the parte as will be apparent.

Secured. to the side edges of the top and back walls I and I| and thefront flange I4, are side walls I preferably in the form of wood stripswhich are also characterized or faced to correspond with the facings ofthe oth'er wall portions of the resulting case. The side walls I5 haveat the forward edges thereof, flanged strips IS which are also faced andcharacterized, as will be appa-rent. From the foregoing, it will appearthat the back, top and side walls including the front flange I4 willform a rigid non-extensible frame, or what might be termed a hoodportion, whereas the front wall I3 and bottom wall I2 may be extendedina position in alinement with the back wall II, as indicated partiallyin dotted lines at X in Fig. 2 of the drawing, in which position of theparts, the front of the case and -the bottom of the case will be open.

" The side walls I5 are arranged within the edges of the walls I0, II,I2 and I3 and flange I4, and the ends of the bottom wall have angularmetal reinforcing strips II which' overlap the outer edges of the sidewalls I5 to reinforce the case at the lower side corner portionsthereof. The strips I'I also support domed feet I8 for supporting thecase upon a surface.

The side edges of the front wall I3 are provided with U-shapedreinforcing metal strips I9 which reinforce and stiffen the edges of thecase. The upper edge of the front wall is provided with a U-shapedreinforcing strip 29 including an upwardly extending flange portion 2|,note Fig. 5, engaging or arranged beneath a downwardly eX- tendingflange portion 22 on a similar reinforcing strip 23 secured to the loweredge of the flange I.4. The overlapped flanges 2| and 22 form arain-proof joint between the upper edge of the front wall of the coverI3l and the flange I4, and also provides means for rmly supporting theupper edge of the front wall I3 throughout the width of the case whenthe front wall is in closed position.

Centrally of the front wall portion of the case is provided a suitablecoupling device consisting of a part 24 secured to the ange I4 and apart 25 secured to the wall I3. These parts have interlocrking portionsfor securely coupling the same together while at the same time drawingthe wall I3 in the direction of the wall I4.

In order to maintain the desired finish throughout the case, the sideedges of the flange I4, the top wall IB and back wall I I are coveredwith fabric edging strips 21'. However, in more expensive type of cases,'other types of finishing stripsy may here be employed. In thisconnection it will be understood that while in the present illustration,I have shown my invention as adapted to the, more economical form ofconstruction, that I am not necessarily limited in this respect to thevdetails of construction herein shown and described.

. The flanges I6 are each provided substantially centrally thereof withkey-hole plates 28 with large apertures 29 of the plates extendingdownwardly and the narrow apertures 3U extending upwardly so that whenthe front wall or cover I3 is in closed position, the shanks 3| ofheaded pins 32 will be disposed in the reduced apertures 30 withtheheads of the pins disposed in recesses 33 formed in ther strips orflanges I3. It will thus appear that when the front wall or cover I3 isin a. partially closed position, for example as indicated at X2 in dotand dash lines, Fig. 2, the heads of the pins 32 will pass through thelarge apertures 29, each simply pressing inwardly upon the adjacentportions of the front Wall I3, and then by sliding the wall upwardly,the pins 32 will be moved into locked position which will retain theside edges of the front wall against outward flexing in the event thatthe case is packed to capacity. The foregoing movement of the front wallis also essential in coupling the parts 24, 25; in other words, todetach the front wall I3 or to disengage the flanges 2| and 22, it isessential to move the front wall downwardly to a slight degree, and thismovement will automatically unlock the headed pins 32 from the key-holeplates 28.

Centrally of the top wall I9 of the case is attached a suitable handle34, the supporting brackets 35 of which are riveted or otherwise securedto the top wall. At 36 is shown a case supporting loop pivoted to theupper edge of the back wall to provide means for hanging the case upon asupporting nail or hook when the same is in a fully extended position.In this way, garments may be maintained within a travelling case and thecase may be used as a supporting means for the garments and readilypacked whenever desired.

' In the Construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, I have shown areinforcing and garment hanger supporting strip 3`| secured to the sidewalls I5 adjacent the top wall I0 so as to form in conjunction with thetop and side walls, channels 38 in which the top cross rods 39 ofgarment hangers 4U are free to slide forwardly and backwardly in thecase. 'I'he rods are removable from the case through the opening as at4I formed by terminating the strips 3'! short of the front flange I4. Itwill appear that the strips 31 are substantially concealed within theiiange I 4.

It will appear from a consideration of Fig. 3 of the drawing that therails 39 are preferably provided with dove-tailed recesses 39a to engageflanged washer plates 35a secured in position by the rivets 35h employedto retain the brackets 35 in position. The flanged plates form means tointerlock the rails 39 with the top Wall I0 so that the weight of thegarments within the case may be directly suspended from the handle 34thus relieving the strain on the top wall Ill. With this constructionthe rails will be maintained in close proximity to the top wall of thecase to provide a strong and sturdy construction.

It is also preferred that garment retaining straps 42 be providedbetween the side walls I5 of the case adjacent the bottom wall thereof,that is to say, across the inner surface of the back wall II; whereasother stra-ps or ribbons 43 are provided on the inner surface of thefront wall I3 to securely retain garments in connection with the frontand rear wall portions. These straps are placed in position when thecase is in fully opened position.

In Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawing, I have shown a slight modification ofthe structure shown in the other figures, which consists in substitutingfor the single strips 3l, channelled strips 31a which will provide astronger reinforcement for the upper corner portions of the case. 'I'helower wall or flange 44 of the channelled strip 3'I will be cut awayadjacent the front flange Illa similar to the flange I4 as seen at45 inFig. 7, so that the rails 39D of hangers may be inserted into andremoved from the channels of the strips 33a. With this construction itwill appear that the top of the rails 39h will be spaced from the topwall Ina, thus the recesses as at 39a, Fig. 3, need not be employed inthe rails 39h. Otherwise, the construction shown in Figs. 6 and '7 willbe the same as that shown in the other figures.

claim `as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, ist` 1. A luggagecase of the character described comprising relatively xed top, back andside walls forming a hood structure, a narrow front wall portion at thetop of the hood and xedly secured to the top and side walls, a bottomwall hingedly joined to the lower edge of the back wall, a front wallhingedly joined to the forward edge of the bottom wall whereby bothbottom and front walls are extensible in a plane continuous and inalinement with the back wall, cleats on inner surfaces of the side wallsbelow the top wall and inwardly of said narrow front wall, the forwardends of the cleats being spaced from said front wall portion, a pair ofspaced dovetailed rails centrally of the inner surface of the top walland extending from the back wall to a position short of said narrowfront wall portion, and means for securing the hinged front wall inclosed position.

2. A luggage case of the character described comprising relatively fixedtop, back, side, and front walls, the front wall extending downwardlyfrom the top wall a short distance thereby forming of said relativelyfixed walls a hood-like structure open at the front and bottom of thecase, a bottom wall rhinged to the lower edge of the back Wall, a coverwall hingedly joined to the forward edge of the bottom wall'whereby boththe bottom and cover walls are extendable into a plane continuous and inalinement with the back wall, the side edges of the narrow front walloverlying the forward edges of the side walls and being attachedthereto, the lower edge of the front wall having a reinforced flangeextending the full length thereof and spaced. with respect to theforward edge of the side walls, the free upper edge of the cover wallhaving a flange insertable beneath the front wall flange in retainingthe cover wall in closed position, and means coupling the front wall andcover wall to support the same in closed position.

3. A luggage case of the character described comprising relatively fixedtop, back, side, and front walls, the front wall extending downwardlyfrom the top wall a short distance thereby forming of said relativelyfixed walls a hood-like structure open at the front and bottom of thecase, a bottom wall hinged to the lower edge of the back wall, a coverwall hingedly joined to the forward edge of the bottom wall whereby boththe bottom and cover walls are extendable into a plane continuous and inalinement with the back wall, the side edges of the narrow front walloverlying the forward edges of the side walls and being attachedthereto, the lower edge of the front wall having a reinforced flangeextending the full length thereof and spaced with respect to the forwardedge of the side walls, the free upper edge of the cover wall `having aflange insertable beneath the front wall ange in retaining the coverwall in closed position,I

means coupling the front wall and cover wall to support the same inclosed position, side edges of the cover wall overlying the forwardedges of the side walls, and means at side edges of the cover wallcooperating with means on the Having fully described my invention, whatI forward edges of the side walls retaining the cover wall against.displacement from the side walls intermediate upper and lower ends ofthe cover wall.

4. A luggage case of the character described comprising relatively fixedtop, back, side and front walls, the front wall extending downwardlyfrom the top wall a short distance thereby forming of said relativelyfixed walls a hood-like structure open at the front and bottom of thecase, a bottom Ywall hinged to the lower edge of the back wall, a coverwall hingedly joined to the forward edge of the bottom wall whereby boththe bottom and cover walls are extendable into a plane continuous and inalinement with the back wall, the side edges of the narrow front walloverlying the forward edges of the side walls and being attachedthereto, the lower edge of the front wall having a reinforced flangeextending the full length thereof and spaced with respect to the forwardedge of the side walls, the free upper edge of the cover wall having aflange insertable beneath the front wall flange in retaining the coverwall in closed position, means coupling the front wall and cover wall tosupport the same in closed position, side edges of the cover walloverlying the forward edges of the side walls, means at side edges ofthe cover Wall cooperating with means on the forward edges of the sidewalls retaining the cover wall against displacement from the side wallsintermediate upper and' lower ends of the cover wall, said said lastnamed means comprising keyhole plates on the side walls engaged byheaded pins on the cover wall.

5. A luggage case of the character described comprising relatively fixedtop, back, side, and front walls, the front wall extending downwardlyfrom the top wall a short distance thereby forming of said relativelyfixed walls a hood-like structure open at-the front and bottom of thecase, a bottom wall hinged to the lower edge of the back wall, a coverwall hingedly joined to the forward edge of the bottom wall whereby boththe bottom and cover walls are extendable into a plane continuous and inalinement with the back wall, the side edges of the narrow front walloverlying the forward edges of the side walls and being attachedthereto, the lower edge of the front wall having a reinforced flangeextending the full length thereof and spaced with respect to the forwardedge of the side walls, the free upper edge of the cover wall having aflange insertable beneath the front wall flange vin retaining the coverwall in closed position,

means coupling the front wall and cover wall to support the same inclosed position, said front, top, back, bottom and cover wallscomprising a single sheet of material, and means reinforcing thecoupling between the botto-m and side walls when the case is in closedposition.

6. A luggage case of the character described comprising relatively xedtop, back, side, and front walls, the front wall extending downwardlyfrom the top wall a short distance thereby forming of said relativelyfixed walls a hoodlike structure open at the front and bottom of thecase, a bottom wall hinged to the lower edge of the back wall, a coverwall hingedly joined to the forward edge of the bottom wall whereby boththe bottom and cover walls are extendable into a plane continuous and inalinement with the back wall, the side edges of the narrow front walloverlying the forward edges of the side walls and being attachedthereto, the lower edge of the front wall having a reinforced flangeextending the full length thereof and spaced with respect to the forwardedge of the side walls, the free upper edge of the cover wall having aflange insertable beneath the front Wall flange in retaining the coverwall in closed position, means coupling the front wall and cover wall tosupport the same in closed position, means within theupper portion ofthe case and substantially concealed by said front wall for detachablysupporting garment hangers in connection with the case, said last namedmeans comprising cleats o-n inner surfaces of the side walls adjacentthe top wall and terminating short of said front wall toy provideclearance for engagement o hangers with said cleats.

7. A luggage case of the character described comprising relatively fixedtop, back, side, and front walls, the front wall extending downwardlyfrom the top wall a short distance thereby forming of said relativelyxed walls a hood-like structure open at the front and bottom of thecase, a bottom Wall hinged to the lower edge of the back wall, a coverwall hingedly joined to the forward edge of the bottom wall whereby boththe bottom and cover walls are extendable into a plane continuous and inalinement with the back wall, the side edges oi the narrow front Walloverlying the forward edges of the side walls and being attachedthereto, the lower edge of the front wall having a reinforced flangeextending the full length thereof and spaced With respect to the forwardedge of the side Walls, the free upper edge of the cover wall having aiiange insertable beneath the front wall flange in retaining the coverwall in closed position, means coupling the front wall and cover wall tosupport the same in closed position, means within the upper portion ofthe case and substantially concealed by said front wall for detachablysupporting garment hangers in connection with the case, said last namedmeans comprising cleats supporting hanger rods adjacent andlongitudinally of the top Wall, means centrally of the top wall securinga handle thereto, and said last named means including means interlockingwith the hanger rods for suspending garment hangers directly from saidhandle.

HARRY DERMAN`

